Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Strategic Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wooster superintendent presents strategic plan progress, highlights academic gains and mental‑health staffing
Summary
Superintendent Gabe Tudor told the Wooster City Schools board the district has made measurable progress on its five strategic goals — including academics, mental‑health supports, technology and career‑tech expansion — and outlined plans for a new strategic plan cycle next spring.
Superintendent Gabe Tudor on Tuesday updated the Wooster City Schools Board of Education on the district’s multi‑year strategic plan, summarizing accomplishments since 2022 and describing next steps, including beginning a new planning cycle in the spring.
Tudor told the board he expects the community and the board to begin a new strategic‑plan process in spring 2026 and framed the current plan as “the compass of what we do,” saying the district used the plan to shape curriculum adoptions, staffing, and student services.
The presentation reviewed five broad goals: academic advancement and professional learning; climate, culture and mental wellness; behavior management and prevention; communication and community engagement; and business operations and human resources. Tudor said the district recorded what he called “our best report card in my time here at Wooster,” and pointed to specific changes tied to the plan.
On academics, Tudor cited stronger curriculum adoption processes and course alignment at the secondary level, the introduction and refinement of career‑technical education (welding/fabrication and health technologies), and a shift in high‑school course offerings to balance Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus with expanded elective and CTE options.
Tudor described technology and instructional supports as central to the plan’s work: the district is 1:1 with student Chromebooks (about 2,000 devices implemented in recent years), has integrated technology standards into instruction, and created a Chromebook handbook for families and staff. He also said staff adjusted practices to comply with state privacy expectations after Senate Bill 29 and other student‑privacy guidance.
Mental‑health and wraparound services were a recurring emphasis. Tudor said the district created a mental‑health task force, changed the therapeutic counseling model to emphasize ongoing supports and crisis response, and added positions including an elementary guidance counselor, a middle‑school guidance counselor, behavior specialists and registered behavior technicians (RBTs). He credited a service coordinator position, initially grant‑funded, with streamlining referrals and community partnerships.
Tudor said the district reduced the annual cost of some contracted therapeutic services from roughly $500,000 to about one‑fifth of that amount by shifting billing to insurance and Medicaid where applicable, allowing the district to maintain levels of service while redirecting district funds.
Tudor also highlighted community partnerships — including food bank and clothing drives, the district’s “Generals Club” supports and collaborations with local employers to expand work‑based learning — and said the district is reviewing facilities needs and a facilities master plan while noting no levy decision has been made.
Board members thanked district staff and administrators for implementing the plan’s initiatives and for the data Tudor presented. No board vote was required on the presentation; Tudor invited the board and community to participate in planning for a new strategic plan beginning next spring.
Looking ahead, Tudor said the district will return with more detailed data in coming months and expects curriculum and facilities discussions to inform future budget and operational decisions.
